Tequila happens to be just about the only liquor I enjoy. Recently, I was talking to some guys from Mexico who know their tequila pretty well. One of the older guys was telling me he sometimes enjoys keeping tequila in the freezer as it completely changes the flavour (I guess to something better/positive).
Is it a bad idea for any reason to store tequila in the freezer, and does it matter what type of tequila it is?
Safety
There is absolutely no need to worry about liquor, including tequila, ever freezing or exploding like a beer or wine would. To freeze liquor, temperatures of -100 to -170 degrees F are required. Your basic house hold freezer is set at about 0 degrees F, and an industrial deep freeze only gets to about -50 F;
It also does not matter what type of Tequila it is, as all tequila will be 40% alcohol by volume.
As far as personal safety, Tequila straight out of the freezer is not cold enough to worry about being harmful to drink as some have suggested; IMHO it is much better than other liquors that are traditionally kept frozen such as Sake.
Taste
Like Sake, Tequila does have a different flavor if kept at room temp vs in the freezer.
When the tequila is chilled, you may find that your mouth isn't bombarded with the chemical compound, ethanol (alcohol), that can eviscerate your tongue and completely overpower one's olfactory receptors. Without these hindrances, one may taste a sweet nectar flavor not present in a room temperature drink.
Storing tequila in the freezer?
I doubt that storing tequila in your freezer will make it taste better, but under certain conditions it could preserve the great taste of tequila. Storing your liquor in general in a freezer is not a bad idea at all, but is only possibly necessary at certain times.
For the most part, there’s no need to refrigerate or freeze liquor whether it’s still sealed or already opened.
Hard liquors like vodka, rum, tequila, and whiskey; most liqueurs, including Campari, St. Germain, Cointreau, and Pimm’s; and bitters are perfectly safe to store at room temperature. Essentially every liquor mentioned in this Bar Cart post on stocking your home bar with the notable exception of already-opened vermouth can and should be stored without refrigeration.
That notable exception of vermouth I mentioned above is because vermouth is actually a fortified wine. And like regular wine, it will eventually oxidize, so it needs to remain in the fridge once it’s been uncorked. Vermouth and dessert wines like vin santo, ice wine, and the like thankfully have a longer refrigerator shelf life than their regular wine counterparts, and won’t turn vinegary and sour in the span of a few days. But they will slowly start to lose their nuances of flavor, and after a few months—six, max—they’re probably goners. - How Should I Store My Booze?
Storing tequila
Like almost any other alcohol (besides some liqueurs), tequila should be stored in a cool and dry area. Therefore, the pantry seems to be the best possible choice, but if you don’t plan to open the bottle within the next few weeks or months, you can store it in the cellar (if there’s not enough space in the pantry). After opening the bottle please remember that you should always keep the bottle tightly sealed when not in use. Don’t ever store it with a pourer on or without its cap.
Tightly sealed bottle ensures two things. First – any impurities won’t be able to find their way into the bottle. Second – if the bottle stays opened without its cap, the liquid evaporates quicker than when it’s sealed. Because alcohol evaporates quicker than water, your tequila will slowly become milder with time (after opening the bottle for the first time).
When the bottle is less than half full and you won’t consume the rest of its contents within a couple of weeks, it’s a good idea to pour the liquid into a smaller bottle. More air in the bottle equals faster evaporation and oxidation, both of them causing the quality of tequila to slowly deteriorate.
The shelf life of tequila is indefinite if the seal remains undamaged. If not consuming your tequila in a relatively short time I would not hesitate to put it in the refrigerat
First thing that not everyone is familiar with is that spirits, unlike wines, don’t age after being bottled. That means that storing tequila for years won’t make its taste better. When it comes to shelf life of tequila, it’s basically indefinite, as long as its seal isn’t compromised. If you store an unopened bottle in the pantry for quite a few years now, you can be almost sure that it’s fine now and it should be of great quality. After the bottle is opened for the first time, it’s recommended to drink tequila within a couple of months, when its quality is still at its best.
With freezing temperatures be sure your bottles will not explode.
The average home freezer is about -17 C (-1 F). This is cold enough to freeze your food and ice, but not cold enough to freeze the average bottle of 80-proof liquor.
■ Storing your favorite bottle of vodka in the freezer is okay.
■ Placing that prized limoncello in the freezer for a quick chill is a good idea. What is the Freezing Point of Alcohol?
I do this all the time with tequila, both blanco y reposado (havent tried with a mezcal as I prefer that super Smokey “green” flavor) — you get all of the other subtle aromas/flavors that you would normally miss at room temperature; it also makes for an eeeeasssy and smooth shot. (chilled Casamigos reposado tastes like toasted marshmallows, i don't get that profile when it’s warm)
Also if I pour myself an icy triple shot of tequila, the first shot is smooth and the next sips get more complex as the temp rises..
Life’s too short to make an opinion on something you haven’t tried before… try it all out, pick your favorite and do that when the situation calls for it…
Stay thirsty my friends;)
I don't have any first hand knowledge about this, but I've heard this can be dangerous. Since tequila has alcohol, it isn't going to freeze. Depending on how cold the freezer is there may be potential for damage to tissues in your mouth. Perhaps this is or isn't true, but you might want to do some research before trying it.
I did some casual Googling and found a lot of people freezing booze and drinking so perhaps typical freezer temperatures are Okay. One worrisome hit was this however:
Conduction is the transfer of heat to objects or substances in direct contact. Your tongue sticking to the flagpole in grade school is a perfect example of how tissue can almost instantly freeze when in contact with cold metal, an excellent heat conductor. Keep in mind that alcohol is also an excellent conductor and often freezes at much colder temperatures than water, so if you bring a beer out on your next cold-weather adventure, don’t throw back a few swigs until you’ve checked its temperature. Extremely cold alcohol can instantly freeze and damage your lips, tongue or other mouth tissue. And if the alcohol comes in contact with your throat or esophagus, that can turn out to be deadly.
Don’t do this unless it’s horrible tequila and you would have a reason to want to destroy terrible flavor and aromas. Certain spirits, like tequila/mezcal and bourbon/scotch/whisky, should virtually never be stored in the freezer and aren’t meant to be served that cold. Freezing actual good tequila is worse than just setting your money on fire because it does the tequila a disservice.
I know people who freeze tequilas, rums, and vodkas. The thing is, at room temperatures these drinks will have more taste and perfume. If you put them in the freezer, they loses that flavor and become more acidic. For example, rum and whiskey are miserable in the fridge. But for tequila it's OK if you will have it in shots as it is more intense, and vodka is OK because it is pure alcohol.
Yeah, tequila in the freezer is fine, and so is vodka, genever etc. Pour it in a shot glass, enjoy the syrupy texture and the foggy glass, have a small sip...you can't take a gulp because of the temperature. You probably can't taste much either due to frozen taste buds, but's it's a cool conversation starter and it saves on ice cubes.
